


Behind The Celestial Curtain

by LostGirl112



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:55:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26398258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostGirl112/pseuds/LostGirl112
Summary: Within a blink of an eye, Chloe's world turns upside down. Lucifer is gone, the precinct looks like a warzone, and God has made his big debut on Earth. As more of the past comes to light, Chloe finds herself sitting at dinner with the Devil, her kidnapper, and God himself. What could go wrong?
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar
Comments: 10
Kudos: 309





	1. A Little Brotherly Love

With a blink of an eye, he was gone.

Chloe could feel the strain in her neck as she whipped her head around the evidence room, looking for any sign of the man that stood before her just seconds ago. Her cheeks were still warm, her eyes wet, and her chest aching.

Lucifer had stood before her with a pain in his eyes as he stumbled over his words, saying her name- saying, "Chloe." She looked away for a second, just a second, and he was gone. As if Michael were whispering in her ear, fear and doubt began to take over her thoughts. Her eyes began to burn like hot wax as she imagined him running away, or more realistically, flying away.

She closed her eyes, taking in a long, deep breath. Pausing, Chloe held onto the tension of air, waiting to be released in her chest as she fought the voices in her head. The skin around her neck tensed and tightened as she recited calming words to end the battle in her mind. "He wouldn't do this to me. He wouldn't do this to me."

Sharp gasps, and a stampede of feet from outside the evidence room made Chloe dart her eyes open and release the breath that wanted to fight its way out of her body.

Chloe joined the officers in deep blue, looking around, bewildered by the chaos that took place in the precinct.

"How did this happen?" One female officer bent down by a detective's desk to slide the scattered paperwork on the floor together into one bunch.

Two officers assisted in turning over one desk as a detective in a black blazer rushed by shouting back over his shoulder. "I'll get the broom."

Chloe jerked her head toward her desk as she heard scattered glass crack and slid under the pressure of her colleagues' feet. Her lips slowly parted in shock and confusion as she stepped around the office's partition to get a better look at the exposed conference room.

Linda stood over Charlie's stroller, clenching a hand over her heart in shock. Like a trickle of rain falling off the edge of a roof, small glass shards continued to fall out of the window's frame. Each drop made Linda pull her stroller away from the mess, covering her son's body with a meek hand.

Attempting to swallow a stream of panic as she clenched down on her jaw, Chloe looked down at a charcoal grey blade peeking out from below her desk. She bent down, sliding out the curved knife that must have slid across the floor, stopping at the desk's corner leg. Chloe's pointer finger lightly traced the intricate feathered detailing that resembled wings and the blade's sharp edge. She recognized Maze's weapon- the dagger her ex-roommate would spin around her thumb lazily or the same weapon she would threaten suspects with, holding the curved blade close to their throats.

Knowing the commotion in the precinct was enough to keep her colleagues' eyes off her, Chloe covertly slid the demon's blade into her back jean pocket. Untucking her blouse from her waistline, she let her top flow over her pockets, hiding the number one celestial killer from sight. Chloe took a massive step over the glass, reaching her hand out for Linda to take. "Hey, Linda. Are you alright?"

Linda squeezed Chloe's hand tighter than the Detective expected as she rocked her stroller impatiently in small motions. "I'm fine. I'm just- I don't know what happened. One second I'm here with Amenadiel, and the next- boom! Shattered glass." Releasing her hand from Chloe, Linda cupped her son's cheek.

Chloe looked down on the stroller, but her eyes scanned the floor back and forth, trying to make sense of the mess around her.

Popping her body up more alert, Linda held a finger mid-air, thinking back to her past similar experience. "You don't think-" Linda's eyes darted around Chloe to gauge how close the other officers were. Lowering her voice to a harsh, urgent whisper, Linda leaned her head closer to Chloe's. "- Amenadiel got his powers back?"

Chloe began to shake her head slowly as she wrapped her mind around Amenadiel's ability to slow time. What did that look like? How much time had passed? What happened, she asked herself as she looked back to the glass coating the floor.

"This feels just like the time the Goddess mutilated me. One second I'm in my office with my insides on the outside, and the next, I'm in the emergency room." Linda's pointer finger lightly touched her bottom lip as she thought back to the sudden time jump and the unbearable pain she felt as Maze held her in her arms, kicking the emergency room doors open with her boot.

"Mutilated?" Chloe snapped out of her thoughts, jerking her head back to Linda. "The God- Lucifer's mom?"

Waving her hand casually, Linda rolled her eyes, moving her mind back to the present. "Yeah, the whole trying to figure out Lucifer's plan to lock her back in heaven and Azarel's blade and- well, you know all about this."

Chloe stared off, distantly into the room's corner, remembering when Linda was in the hospital. As she felt Linda's eyes on her once more, Chloe raised her brows, forcing a nod. Sucking in her bottom lip, Chloe continued to pretend she knew what Linda was talking about, but that's all it was- pretend.

"You know, it was so scary at the time, but thinking back to it, you can't help but laugh and think that really happened. It's too unbelievable to think half the stuff we've gone through is even real."

Chloe closed her arms tight below her chest, continuing to nod her head as she thought back to every moment Lucifer said something quirky and unusual. She had gotten used to the weird things that came out of his mouth over the years, and Chloe slowly pieced some of the bits together, but it was still a blur of information. From the moment she learned about Lucifer's truth, to watching him leave her, to learning about her gift, to getting kidnapped, the couple hadn't had time to dive into their complicated past. There was still so much she did not know.

"Maze!" Linda called out to grab her friend's attention, gesturing her hand for the demon to join the group.

Chloe took a step back, her eyes scanning Maze's beaten and bruised body. It was apparent that while everything was still, a battle was raging on. She watched Maze walk around the precinct in a hurry, in search of something. The woman in all black searched the floor eagerly as she made her way closer to the conference room.

"Maze, what happened?" Linda's eyes widened in shock as Maze stopped at the edge of the stroller.

Rolling her shoulders back, Maze tried to erase the discomfort in her sore muscles. "Michael just wanted to show a little brotherly love."

"Michael was here?" Chloe took another small step back, remembering how he grabbed her in her home, holding her captive in the abandoned zoo. It scared her to know that while she was frozen still, he roamed the precinct at a perfect pace, creating a path of destruction before him, out of her control.

"Is everyone okay? Amenadiel? Lucifer?" Linda clenched her stroller harder, shaking Charlie back and forth into an unsoothing motion.

Rolling her eyes up to the ceiling, Maze cocked her hip out to the side, wanting to wrap the conversation up as quickly as she could. "Everyone's fine." There was still a thirst for blood and revenge racing through her veins. Her skin was still humming from the fight that took place minutes ago, and she was ready for more.

The ungrateful tone that released through the demon's lips made Chloe narrow her eyes in suspicion. The Detective didn't know if it was the fact that they were once close friends, roommates, and partners, but Maze was an easy read to Chloe. She still didn't fully understand why Maze did the things she did, but she did know when something was off.

"Are you okay? Did Michael do this to you?" Linda's eyes scanned her friend's cut lip and uncomfortably bent over body.

Maze held her stomach with one hand as she avoided the two sets of eyes on her. "I'm fine." Her tone was short, flat, and challenging.

"So, there was a fight?" Chloe cocked her head to the side as she pointed to the shattered glass behind them.

"Always the perceptive one, Chloe." Maze smirked as she straightened her body in discomfort, releasing a small groan as she felt a twinge of pain in her stomach and sharpness between her rib bones.

"I- I, um, don't remember you being here before." Chloe looked off, trying to remember the precinct before Lucifer guided her away. She tried remembering if Maze even came back with her, Lucifer, and Dan after rescuing her.

Maze kept her eyes focused on Chloe as she watched the gears tick away inside the Detective's mind. "And?"

"And... I think Lucifer and Amenadiel were lucky you showed up just in time. It sounds like Michael's visit was more than a surprise. Good timing on your end, that's all." Chloe softened her hard stare, studying Maze's face. A sickening feeling continued to swim around in her gut as she tried to read through Maze's impenetrable exterior.

The demon forced an innocent, unprecedented smile across her lips. "They were lucky. Everything seemed under control until the universe's number dad showed up."

Charlie's rocking stroller came to a sudden stop as Linda froze. "Wait. What? Do you mean God? As in God, God?" Linda and Chloe shared a shocked glance as a million thoughts ran through the therapist's mind.

"Yeah." Removing her focus from the conversation, Maze continued to look behind her, scanning the floor.

"That's- well, that's- I mean, wow." Linda was at a loss for words as she tried to force a single coherent sentence out. "What's he like? What does he look like?"

"I don't know. Didn't get a good look at the guy. He made a grand entrance and pulled the guys away before I could get up."

Chloe leaned back to rest her hip on the corner of the table as she watched some of the glass shards be swept into a pan. She did not feel the same utter excitement and awe that Linda was spewing out into the room. Chloe's face naturally fell into a look of worry and uncertainty. She knew how Lucifer felt about his father- a father who abandoned his son a millennia ago, a father who made life more complicated with signs and tests, a father who blessed her into existence. Her heart began to pound deep within her chest as she tried to imagine Lucifer's face seeing his father for the first time. The pounding heartbeats took over her eardrums as she thought of meeting her creator face to face.

"Have you guys seen one of my daggers?" Maze flicked her single, lonely dagger around her right hand as her eyes watched the glass be swept up behind her. She remembered handing one of her prized possessions to Michael, who targeted an innocent, frozen bystander on the side. Blocking the attack, Lucifer chucked the hell-forged dagger over his shoulder, away from the current battle, and Maze kept her search confined to that area. Now that Lucifer was gone, her natural urge to hunt took over, and all she could see was red. All she wanted was to complete her set and finish the job.

Chloe slid her hands into her back, jean pockets. Her right fingertips slid along the engraved feathers on the blade hidden below her blouse, secured out of view. Her gut refused to let go of the dark feeling moving like unsteady waves against her stomach every time she looked at Maze. A new voice echoed into her mind- a familiar voice. Her conscience began to sound more and more like Lucifer. His comforting, low voice was telling her not to trust the demon before her.

Chloe lifted her shoulders into an innocent shrug. "No, I haven't, but I'll keep an eye out."


	2. Beauty School Dropout

The red wine in her bowl-like wine glass swirled around in clockwise circles. Chloe stared out across her apartment as she leaned her back against her couch's arm. Her legs spread long across the cushions, taking up as much space as she could alone in her living room. The home was dark, with only a single slit of bright yellow light coming from the crack in Trixie's bedroom door.

A group of girls harmonizing and belting out their pain over heartbreak sounded from her daughter's computer. Chloe could hear Trixie hum along to the popular song as she sat at her desk, finishing her homework. Soon, the bright light dimmed, and the music went silent as she listened to her daughter crawl into bed, opening a book to read before she dozed off.

Taking another sip of her wine, Chloe stared down at her phone, laying on top of her lap. Ever since time began to move once more, she hadn't heard from the Devil known to cling so close to her hip. Once word got around that God was in town, all Chloe could think about was the emotional turmoil her partner was experiencing. Not wanting to overwhelm him, Chloe sent three sporadic texts throughout her day to let him know she knew Amenadiel stopped time, she hoped he was okay, and she was home for the night. No phone calls, no responses, no word.

Chloe bit down on her bottom lip, lightly sucking it in as she imagined Lucifer and God's tense reunion. Her lips felt puffed up and swollen from a mix of anxious biting through her day, and the bottle of Syrah she was planning to finish alone.

She watched the red liquid pouring out of the black wine bottle, making it glass number three that night. As she took another sip of her drink, Chloe's eyes slowly glided up to the chair she sat in the night before. She remembered being yanked to the floor, the taste of the leather glove that masked her cries for help. Dark grey wings clocked her body as she felt her feet lift from the ground and take flight in the night's sky. Her lungs filled with earth and unsettled dust as she was thrown to the ground and an unkempt gate slammed shut behind her.

Icy chills ran down her spine as she thought of going to sleep tonight- if she could go to sleep. As her muscles began to feel weighed down and heavy, Chloe knew her bottle of wine would help her tonight just as it had helped her over a month ago. When Lucifer was gone, she had turned to a glass, or sometimes a bottle, to help her sleep a night. It was the only thing that would put her thoughts, worries, and sadness to rest. Now, with Lucifer here, the only thing she wanted to forget was his brother, Michael. She wanted to forget the past 24 restless hours, her kidnapping, and her emotional thirst for Lucifer's words of affirmation.

Chloe suddenly jerked her head up to the ceiling as a massive force plummeted down above her, shaking the living's room overhead light. Her bottom lip slowly dropped open as her eyes followed a pair of footsteps moving around above her.

"What was that?" Trixie's bed creaked as she sat up more alert, waiting for her mom's response as she screamed out from her bedroom.

Placing her glass down, Chloe reached into an ornate wooden box on her coffee table. She lifted a shelf layer that stored the remote control, a candle lighter, and spare change to reveal a small, spare gun hiding below. "Nothing, monkey. I just dropped something. It's okay."

Chloe's feet were light as she took each step up the stairs quietly, braving the darkness. Her bedroom door was cracked open from when she left it before. The curtains had yet to be drawn, and moonlight trickled through the windows, creating shadows on her wall. Chloe recognized the silhouetted figure pacing back and forth with a hand to their chin, but she also knew this figure had a twin.

Chloe clenched the gun in her hands tighter as she inched the door open slowly. Her gut told her it was Lucifer, but she still waited until he turned to face the light. She wanted to see if a scar lived on his face.

He looked lost, confused, broken. His shaking fingers didn't know where to rest as they hovered over his lips. The moon's light exposed the glossy finish over his eyes- eyes that had seen unwanted tears. His olive skin was smooth with dark stubble running along his jawline, but no scar.

Chloe dropped her arms and released the tension circling her gun as she pushed the door open wider. "Lucifer?"

The Devil stopped in his tracks, motioning his head toward the door in relief. The pause between them felt longer than reality let on as they stood, looking at one another across the room. He forced his mouth into a tight-lipped smile, but Chloe could see right through him. His eyes were distant, his hair disheveled, and his suit desperately needed a good pressing.

Lowering her gun to a table nearby, Chloe made her way across the room. Bounding up onto her toes' tips, Chloe wrapped her arms around Lucifer's neck, balancing her chin on his shoulder. He enclosed his arms around her waist, closing his eyes as his head leaned against hers in solace. His cheeks were hot and wet against Chloe's face, making her hold onto him for a second longer.

Her heels met the ground once more as she released Lucifer from her grip, but his hands stayed firmly on her hips. Chloe's finger's lightly traced around his cheeks as her troubled eyes met his. "Are you okay?" Her whisper broke the room's silence, and Chloe watched Lucifer's eyes soften the longer he stared at her.

"I honestly don't know." Lucifer released his hands from Chloe, making his way to the edge of her bed. He sat with wide legs to balance his elbows on his knees, and he ran his hands up his face, feeling the tension in his jaw subside. "My dad-" His fingers slid through his hair to the nape of his neck, waking his senses from their numb state. "- he's here." Lucifer released a cleansing sigh through his lips, feeling the weight of his simple sentence lift off his chest.

"I know." Chloe sat beside him on the edge of her bed. Her petite middle finger swept through the undone hair above his ear, and she rested her hand on his back. "Maze filled Linda and me in."

Like being jerked awake from a nightmare, Lucifer's eyes popped open at the sound of his friend's name. "Maze." He looked over to Chloe, scanning her body for any harm. Deep down, he knew his demon's vengeance was directed toward him and only him, but she also knew his weakness- Chloe. "Are you alright? Did she-"

"I'm fine." Chloe quickly interrupted him to reassure his wild eyes. "I'm fine, Lucifer." She watched his shoulders sulk back down as he hunched over the bed once more. "What happened?"

Lucifer licked his lips, thinking back to the fight in the precinct. It had seemed so long ago, but it was only earlier that afternoon. "Amenadiel's fears got to him, and instead of slowing time, he stopped it all together."

Chloe looked out the window and took in a sharp, deep breath, knowing exactly where that fear came from- Michael.

"Michael showed up; words were exchanged." Lucifer paused, looking down at the tips of his shoes. "Maze found out about something that I've been keeping from her for quite some time now. Her mother, Lily- Lilith, she asked for my word on something, and well- you know I am a man of my word." He lightly clapped his hands, entwining his fingers, thinking back to the precinct. "Michael whispered in her ear that he could give her soul and to a demon- to Mazikeen- that sounded like an offer she couldn't refuse."

"Her and Michael?" There was no inflection in her voice as she was not surprised. She remembered coming into Lucifer's penthouse with dinner but found Michael posing as Lucifer with Maze straddling his lap. Chloe ran her hand down Lucifer's arm, feeling for any open wounds and her eyes looked over his body for any unnoticed gashes. "Was she trying to hurt you? Is that why she was there?"

"No, she didn't want to hurt me. She wanted to kill me, but I don't blame her, I suppose. It wouldn't be the first time." Lucifer sardonically laughed to himself, thinking of her past betrayals.

Chloe narrowed her eyes on her partner's laugh, not understanding his tone. She always thought Lucifer and Maze were as thick as thieves, no matter what came their way, but it now sounded like the opposite. This was the second time today she felt in the dark about a reference to the past- a past Lucifer had yet to dive into.

"Don't worry, Detective. She fell short against me. They both did. Amenadiel and I had him in our grasp until my dad showed up. He had to make a whole spectacle, of course. I thought he was going to start singing 'beauty school dropout' with the way he came in."

Although he was joking, Chloe could hear the disdain in Lucifer's voice when he breached the subject of his dad. She pivoted her body to face him more directly, and she admired his profile in the moon's light, waiting for him to continue.

"It was surprising. Next thing I knew, my dad was sweeping us out of there, bringing us back to my home, and just with a snap of his fingers, the clocks were moving again."

Chloe adjusted herself eagerly, waiting for more, but Lucifer sat dazed and quiet. She watched the invisible wall build up around him, and Chloe began to feel the distance grow between them. His expression grew darker, and his eyes shimmered a dull red. Placing a hand over his, Chloe moved an inch toward Lucifer, closing the small gap between them. "Hey." Her whisper was barely audible, but it was enough to grab his attention.

Lucifer's eyes faded back to a deep brown as the corner of his lip twitched up into a small smile. His thumb caressed the smooth skin on the back of Chloe's hand, and he cleared his throat. "There's going to be a family dinner tomorrow night. Amenadiel offered to host to settle the tensions, but I don't see how it's going to help." He looked away from Chloe, lowering his voice. "Especially with what happened today."

It was clear that he was worried and pessimistic about the dinner, but Chloe forced a brave smile in hopes it would push him to change his state of mind. "I think you should go." Chloe swallowed hard, ignoring the doubt looming inside of her. She knew about Lucifer's relationship with his father, and as it recently turned out, her own relationship with his father. There was a lot of hate and angst that had yet to be released on the man, who finally showed his face, but as painful as the experience would be, Lucifer had to do it. "And I'll be there, too."

Lucifer began to shake his head, not wanting her to experience his family first-hand at a time like this. "No, Detective. That is a lot to ask of you, especially knowing what Michael has put you through recently."

"Well, you're not asking me." Chloe took in a deep breath through her nose, pushing away all of her fear and hesitation. This wasn't about her. This was about him, and by the looks of it, he needed her more than ever. "I'm volunteering. I'm going to be there. Maybe it will help force everyone to be on their best behavior."

Getting up from her bed, Chloe stepped toward her dresser to open one of the top drawers. She pulled out the dagger she found beneath her desk and handed it to Lucifer. The gut feeling she had every time she stared at Maze today had proven to be useful, and Chloe began to feel less guilty for lying to the demon. "But just in case, you may want to keep this on you."

He held the blade in his hands as if it were fragile glass. Staring down at the hell-forged dagger, Lucifer's eyes grew despondent. "I want you to keep this." He raised his hands for Chloe to take the intimidating weapon from his grasp, but she took a step back away.

"Lucifer-"

"I can handle my brother on my own. I can handle Maze." Lucifer stood up, lifting one of Chloe's hands, forcing the blade back into her palm. "I can't always be with you, Detective. You know that, and they know that." He lightly closed her fingers around the blade. "I know you can handle yourself in a fight- I've seen it first hand. But, in my world, it's different. I need you to keep this."

Chole stared down at the blade, finally feeling it's wicked, profound power. She nodded in agreement and tucked the dagger away beneath her silk bralettes. As Chloe turned around, she opened her mouth with a slight surprise.

The Devil was neatly hanging his suit jacket off the chair's arm in her bedroom. His fingers began to meticulously unbutton his shirt at the collar, revealing toned lines defining his muscular chest and abdomen. His eyes were focused off into the corner of the room in deep thought as the conversations had in his penthouse still haunted him. As his shirt hung loosely around his body, he pulled back one side of the bed's sheets.

"Lucifer, you don't have to stay." She wanted Nothing more than for him to spend the night, but she also knew he was in a different headspace than usual. Since early in their partnership, when things had been rough for him in the past, he was known for trailing off to be alone with his thoughts. She would always find him at his piano, forcing her comfort into his loneliness. "You experienced a lot today. If you want to be alone tonight, I completely understand."

The purple button-down slid off his back onto the floor, and Lucifer adjusted the pillows on one side of the bed. "With everything that's happened in the past 24-hours, did you honestly think that I would let you sleep alone tonight?" He wore a comforting, sincere smile on his lips as he watched her body sigh with relief. "I can't think of anywhere else I'd want to be right now."

Chloe slid between the sheets on her side of the bed, feeling her body relax into a deeper state. They laid on their sides, staring at one another in silence, feeling their heads sink deeper into their pillows. Although his body was on the other side of the bed, Chloe felt an overwhelming sense of warmth and safety that settled the dark thoughts stuck in her mind.

Their bodies mimicked one another as they tucked one arm under the pillows and inched their heads closer together. Lucifer kept watch, waiting for her heavy eyelids to close. He waited for her breaths to grow long, her chest to lift and fall slowly, the small moan to signal she was fast asleep, before closing his eyes.


	3. Who Wants More Wine?

The air was tense and uncomfortable. Chloe's eyes made a swift movement up to Lucifer, who clenched down on his jaw before opening the door, squeezing his liquor bottle tighter in his hands. They arrived earlier than the other guests to ease Lucifer's nerves, but it wasn't working as well as Chloe had hoped. They walked down the home's entry steps into Linda's living room without noticing their hosts.

Amenadiel placed the final plate down at the table's head and straightened each dining chair to create the perfect scene. There was already a long loaf of Italian bread on a wooden cutting board in the table's center. Clear wine glasses sat on the edge of every placemat alongside silver utensils. Two sets of taper candles were lit on both ends of the rectangular table while the rest of the home was dimly lit, creating an intimate ambiance.

Linda looked over the filet mignons resting from their cook as she pricked a stem of fresh rosemary over the meat. Her lips were moving as if she were talking to herself under her breath in hyperfocus over her meal.

"Luci, you're here." The eldest angel widened his eyes in surprise. Amenadiel was not only surprised that his brother showed up, but that he showed up early.

Linda wretched her head up from her cooking and internal dialogue to greet her first guests. Her hair hung loose in wavy curls, and she wore a Stepford wife-like smile. She looked as if she were posing for the cover of a home and garden magazine. "Lucifer, how nice of you. You brought a bottle of scotch. Amenadiel, can you get the scotch glasses out?"

"Huh?" Lucifer looked around, confused as he was pulled out of his thoughts. His grip on the bottle did not waiver since he left his penthouse suite, and the cold glass bottleneck reminded him of the Macallan in his grasp. "Oh, no. This is for me. Nothing wrong with a little liquid courage." Removing the cap, Lucifer brought the bottle to his lips, and he took two large swallows before offering the bottle to Chloe.

"He's been drinking since we got in the car." Chloe returned a thin, reserved smile to Linda as she took the bottle and drank a small swig of scotch. She tried her best to look strong and supportive for Lucifer, but her insides were a throbbing, boiling mess. "The place looks great."

"Oh, thanks. When Amenadiel told me I'd be cooking for God, it was- well, it was a bit nerve-racking thinking of what to cook." Trying to keep a calm voice, Linda's hand nervously trembled up to her hip as she forced a confident pose.

"It smells great. He'll love it." Amenadiel smiled something small to reassure Linda, but she didn't notice.

"He better. Do you know how expensive private chefs are?" Linda's calm and cool complexion broke within an instant at the thought of God walking through her front door. To keep herself from going into an insane panic, Linda talked to herself under her breath all day, trying to get everything in order. Now, with the dinner party arriving, her inner monologue spoke loudly for all of her guests to hear.

Pointing a derogatory finger at the food displayed on the island and a sauce simmering on the stovetop, Chloe cocked her head to the side, confused. "Wait, you didn't cook this?"

"Are you kidding me? Cook for God? Yeah, right. I just shoved Chef Pierre out the backdoor and put his food in nicer, cleaner pots to make it look like I did it. Is that bad?"

"My father won't judge. It can't be as bad as the things I've done." Lucifer took another drink from his bottle, staring out across the room with cold, ice-like eyes.

The room fell silent as everyone turned their attention to Lucifer. Amenadiel softened his eyes, watching his little brother suffer from their father's unexpected visit. He looked to Chloe, who looked just as nervous as the Devil, and to Linda, who looked as if she were second-guessing the meal before her. Amenadiel prided himself on setting people's minds at ease with his words of direction and comfort. Before he could open his mouth to give a reassuring word, a powerful gust of wind blew through the room, and a bright shine of light made everyone squint their eyes.

Lopsided and frail, grey wings retracted into Michael's back with a simple roll of his shoulders as he looked around the home, already judging the modern-Spanish decor. God stood beside his son in a cream cardigan, his eyes searching the house for his hosts. He smiled at his eldest son, and he worked his eyes across the backs of Lucifer and Chloe's heads to meet Linda. The small petite blonde woman looked stunned, holding in her breath as she looked at him for the first time.

Linda stood like a deer in headlights, waiting for someone to make the first move. She cleared her throat loudly, hoping Amenadiel would greet his family and end the awkward silence, but he did not get the hint. "Amenadiel," Linda spoke his name through gritted teeth.

He was still at a loss, seeing his father in human form before him. God had spoken to Amenadiel before in through tests, but this was different. The sound of his name quickly brought him back to reality, and he sprang into action. "Father, thank you for accepting my invitation to dinner." Amenadiel's bright smile tightened his cheeks and shined his brilliant white teeth. As he turned his attention toward his brother, Amenadiel's face sank in disdain. "Michael." His voice was short and dry, trying to ignore the unwelcomed presence in his home.

Making his way around the island, Amenadiel guided Linda forward by the small of her back to make the formal introduction. "Father, this is my dear friend, Linda. And the mother of Charlie."

Linda's cheeks felt stiff and stale from her animated smile. She didn't know what to do as Amenadiel pushed her closer to God. Not daring to break eye contact, Linda sank into a low curtsy.

"Did she just curtsy?" Michael didn't try to hide his laughter as he wiped a finger against the top of one bookshelf, inspecting the home's cleanliness.

God reached his hand out to hold Linda's, guiding her up to her full height. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Dr. Martin, finally."

Like a young schoolgirl, Linda's cheeks turned bright red as she lightly giggled. "Linda. You can call me Linda."

"Are you two just going to ignore us over here? Rude." Michael's bitter smile grew as he slowly watched Lucifer and Chloe turn around to face the new dinner guests. "Ah, Chloe. Long time no see. Did you miss me as much as I missed you?"

Chloe folded her arms tightly across her chest to prevent her shaking, weak body from showing itself. Her mind went quiet and numb for a few seconds, and her eyes spoke for her with a repulsed glare, jetting across the room.

Lucifer stepped forward, placing half of his body in front of Chloe as a shield from his brother and father. He took another sip from the green bottle in his hand.

Releasing hold of Linda's hand, God smoothly walked past his hosts and came face to face with the Detective. "Samael." He nodded his head toward his son, keeping his eyes glued to Chloe. "Chloe." He searched her face for any sign of wonderment, a similar wonder to what he had just witnessed with Linda, but there was none. "I've been waiting for the day I could see you through my own eyes." God's lips lifted into a soft smile, waiting for her to speak.

Chloe's glaring eyes did not falter from Michael to God. Her stare was unrelenting and empty. It had become clear that Chloe and Lucifer were not fond of the two new guests.

Feeling the uncomfortable tension rise in the room, Amenadiel quickly stepped forward to break the small distance between his father, brother, and Chloe. "I hope everyone's hungry. Should we sit?" Amenadiel gestured his arm to the dining table, showcasing the grand display he worked on for the past hour, and his father followed.

Linda pulled out the table's head chair, waiting for God to take his seat as the guest of honor. "Please, sit."

As everyone took their seats, Lucifer and Chloe did not move, apprehensive about the dinner before them. Waiting for the bottle to leave his lips, Chloe nudged her arm into Lucifer's, leaning in. "Come on." Only two seats were remaining- one on the nearest corner to God, across from Michael, and one on the nearest corner to Amenadiel, who sat at the opposite head of the table. Lucifer pulled out a chair for Chloe to sit farther away from his father and brother, even if it was only a single seat away.

"Is the rodent- child, I mean, not joining us?" Michael took his fork and knife in hand, ready to feast at the platter of food being placed before him.

"Charlie is still coming down from a cold. The medicine will have him knocked out for the night." Linda didn't seem to notice Michael's tone of voice, distracted by creating a plate for everyone at the table.

"Oh, that's right. A cold." Michael turned to Amenadiel with a pronounced pout on his lips. "I forgot how susceptible humans could be to the elements around them." His eyes grew darker, watching Amenadiel squirm in his seat, watching the fear take over his eldest brother once more.

Shooting quick warning eyes toward Michael, God reached for the fresh loaf before him. "Shall I break the bread?" God's charming smile and his way of calming the air around him made Linda and Amenadiel ease into the backs of their chairs. His other son wasn't as easily enamored by his father.

"Oh, please." Lucifer rolled his eyes up and over to Chloe, who sat politely in her chair, eyeing the bottle of unopened red wine in front of her. His low, irritated voice was lost behind Linda's laugh, and he looked down to his lap to avoid any interaction with his father.

As a silence coated the dinner table with the only uncomfortable noise was the forks clanging against glass plates, Amenadiel adjusted himself in his chair for a question he had been waiting to ask. "Father, I know our conversation yesterday was not-" Amenadiel's eyes darted over to Michael, who bit into a large wedge of steak. "-it was tense, to say the least." He watched his father place his fork down and fold his hands, providing his full attention. "But, I don't remember if you truly answered my question. Why are you here? Why now?"

"I told you, I don't want to see my sons fight. Not like this."

"We have fought many times before. We have done far worse things. Where were you then?" Amenadiel raised his chin in curiosity, trying not to let his anxiousness show.

"That's fair to ask. I know it may be hard to believe, but it wasn't the right time." God recollected his fork, taking a thin slice of steak into his mouth. He closed his eyes as he felt the meat melt on his tongue, and the juices dance on his taste buds. When God knew he planned to take a corporeal form, this was one of the few experiences he looked forward to the most- tasting a meal for the first time.

"It wasn't part of your plan." Lucifer's nostrils flared as he looked up to his father with a face full of resentment and doubt.

God opened his eyes, pausing his chew to stare back at his son. The two humans sitting across from one another felt chills run down their neck, arms, and spine. With a swift grab of the bottle in front of her, Linda called out louder than expected. "Who wants wine?"

"No, it wasn't, Samael." God smiled softly at his son, enjoying their proximity, enjoying the close view of his son's eyes. He had waited for a moment like this for some time, and since he had landed on Earth, Lucifer did everything he could to stay a safe distance.

"I told you to stop calling me that." The fork in Lucifer's clutch began to bend backward, and Linda cringed, watching her expensive dining ware change form before her.

"But that's your name- your given name." God cocked his head to the side, watching his son with a quizzical expression.

"His name's Lucifer." Chloe's hoarse voice cracked out over the table as her icy stare focused on the guest of honor.

"Ah, she speaks." Michael's snake-like grin slithered wide as he pointed his fork, balancing a piece of roasted potato off the edge, at her.

God sat back with an approving nod toward Chloe, acknowledging her protective side over Lucifer. "I'm sorry. Lucifer."

Through the small interactions across the table, Amenadiel couldn't help but look unsatisfied by his father's answer. "It wasn't a part of your plan." He spoke aloud to himself, trying to make sense of it. The eldest angel raised his voice, drawing the attention back to him. "It wasn't a part of your plan? So, you're telling me the horrible things I've done was a part of your plan? Mom practically destroying Earth and swallowing it whole?" Amenadiel's lips trembled in pain and anger. "Uriel?"

Chloe watched the mood shift across the table. Amenadiel looked distraught; Lucifer took another sip from his bottle in distress, even Michael looked down to his plate, saddened by the man mentioned. Leaning her left shoulder into Lucifer's, Chloe pursed her lips up to his ear and whispered in an airy breath, "Who's Uriel?"

Michael's eyes rose with a look of sinister surprise. "You don't know about Uriel?" He licked his bottom lip in, excited about sharing the brother Lucifer had kept away from Chloe. Another hidden secret. "Uriel is- was our brother. Lucifer killed him in cold blood, vanishing him from existence. No pearly gates. No Hell. Just gone."

She looked over to Lucifer and watched his eyes look back to her in fear. Chloe assumed this was one of the things he mentioned from his past. One of the things that he believed made him unlovable. She knew of his rebellion and accepted that he was a different version of himself before their time together- a version even he did not like. Chloe slid her hand into Lucifer's below the table, squeezing her fingers around his. She was familiar with Michael's games by now and the fear he would use to make everyone dance like his puppets. "I'm sure that was a long time ago, and I know Lucifer. He probably had a good reason to do what he did."

"Oh, he did." Michael sat up in his chair, leaning over his plate. "You."

"Me?" Chloe cocked her head to the side in confusion. She looked back to Lucifer, shaking her head in disbelief, but soon her face froze, seeing the look on Lucifer's face. "Why would you-"

"Because my brother, may he rest in peace, was trying to kill you. Fix Lucifer's mess." Michael kept his eyes locked on Chloe, watching her try to piece the past together. She looked back down to her plate of untouched food, and Michael knew she was clueless about everything. "He did tell you about the deal he made with my dad about you, didn't he?"

"Michael." Amenadiel rang out a warning, not wanting his brother to continue. He looked to his father for help but found him staring at Lucifer with a look of uncertainty, not aware that this was a hidden secret.

Lucifer felt Chloe's hand slide out of his, and he felt his lips twitch open, ready to plead his case to her. "Detec- Chloe-"

"What deal?" She looked betrayed, inching her body away from Lucifer. Chloe tried her best to ignore Lucifer's hand, looking for hers under the table as she stared directly at Michael for answers.

"Let's just say he spared your life. Traded it actually." As if exposing Lucifer's truth were light dinner conversation, Michael resumed cutting up the rest of his steak. "You see, the night you sped off to your secret meeting with Malcolm, you were supposed to die." Michael pointed the sharp edge of his steak knife at Chloe and then spun it over to Lucifer before resuming to his thin slices of meat. "But my brother here decided to change fate. He took a bullet for you, didn't he? Died right there on the floor, begging daddy to protect you…" With a large pouted lip, Michael mocked his brother's heroism in a teasing, whining voice. "...before he choked on his own blood. I liked that part, by the way." Tossing a corner piece of steak into his mouth, Michael winked at Lucifer across the table.

"Dad gave in and, well, I'm sure you remember leaving that night- walking, talking, breathing." Chewing with his mouth open, the table listened as the steak smacked around in his mouth. "Now that I think about it, it's really your fault any of this happened." Michael moved the sharp edge of his knife to point at Amenadiel. "If you never brought Malcolm back to life to kill Lucifer, then a lot of this mess wouldn't have happened in the first place."

"What?" Chloe jerked her head to Amenadiel, who returned a weak, embarrassed smile.

"Father, may I have permission to hit Michael?" The eldest angel puffed out his chest, clenching his fist for a solid punch.

"No, you may not."

"Uriel paid LA a quick visit to rewrite Lucifer's wrong. He tried to put your fate back on track with a car accident here, an angry gunman there, but you just kept surviving. It wasn't until the ultimatum- mommy versus girlfriend- did Lucifer finish him off once and for all."

The table fell silent as everyone waited for Chloe to speak. Lucifer continued to shake his head in disbelief and defeat, growing to a new level of hatred for his brother.

"I don't know what to say." Chloe sucked her lips in, trying to process the overwhelming new information.

"Perhaps a thank you? I mean the sap went to hell how many times for you?" Michael counted out three fingers on his free hand. "This one had to revive him one time. Remember that, Doc?" As Michael gave a small nudge into Linda's shoulder, Chloe darted her eyes across the table to the nervous blonde.

"Who wants more wine?" Linda jumped out of her chair, refilling her glass with a shaky hand. "I think we need another bottle." Avoiding her friend's stare, Linda backed away toward the kitchen.

"Revive? He has wings. Why would he need to be-" Chloe's argument was once again depleted by the single look on Lucifer's face.

"Wow, you two really are a strong couple, huh? No secrets?" Michael clapped his hands together in excitement, releasing a hearty laugh. "This is great."

Lucifer's eyes grew a bright red as he inched toward his chair's edge, placing both hands on the table. He was ready for a fight.

"Michael." God's voice was low as he warned his son as he placed a firm hand on Lucifer's shoulder, keeping his son down in his chair.

"While you were on your deathbed, losing to the poison, Lucifer thought of a way to get the antidote from Dr. Carlisle himself." Michael shined his bright teeth, folding his hands together while waiting for Chloe to piece the final puzzle together.

"Michael, that is enough." God's hot, heavy scold didn't faze Michael as his anticipation grew.

Lucifer's eyes slowly wandered over to Chloe, watching a small pool of tears balance on her bottom eyelid. The flames of red in his eyes distinguished once he saw the pain in her.

"Dr. Carlisle was dead. You- you went down there?" Chloe's voice cracked as she spoke her thoughts aloud. A shaking, slender finger pointed down to the ground, pointing to the hell below them. "You went down there for the formula?" She looked over to Linda, who stood frozen in the kitchen, holding a new bottle of red. "And if you didn't have your wings, then that means you died. You died?" Chloe tried to remain cold and unyielding, but her quivering lips showed another picture. She waited for Lucifer to reply, frustrated that he had been quiet all of this time, but all she received was a slow nod from her partner.

Michael bit into the last of his steak before interrupting. "Committed suicide, if you want to be specific."

"I said, that is enough." God's fists slammed down onto the table, causing the plates and glasses to jump an inch above the table before falling back down. "No more of your antics. This is not what I pictured when I thought of reuniting my family".

Linda slowly rejoined the table, feeling as if she were a part of the problem. She left the bottle of red unopened in her lap, hoping her diverted eyes gave the celestial family around her enough privacy.

Chloe began to sit in a comatose state, staring out across the room, deep in her thoughts. She thought back to the moments of her and Lucifer's early partnership. All of the times she had just thought she was lucky to be alive was pure chaos behind the celestial curtain. Chloe continued to balance, wishing she never knew this new information and finding closure in Lucifer's hidden stories.

"And what did you think was going to happen? Did you think we were all going to hug it out, laugh at the good ole' days? Don't you get it? We're not a family. We were never a family." The anger that Michael created in Lucifer still lingered in his veins, giving him the courage to speak up for the first time that night.

"That's not true. We were all happy once upon a time." God wore a hopeful smile on his lips, wanting his children to remember where they could be once again if they all tried.

"That was a long time ago, father." Amenadiel shared the same look of vexation and grief as Lucifer.

"I remember things being happier once the rebellion was over if my memory serves me correct." Michael pushed his empty plate toward the center of the table, slapping a happy hand on his full belly.

"I said no more, Michael. Leave. Now." God's voice was the sharpest it had been since his arrival. His face trembled, waiting for Michael to remove his cocky grin and follow the command.

Both Linda and Chloe directed their heads toward God. Their shoulders jumped up at the unexpected slip of the tongue. Like a soldier taking orders without question, Chloe watched Michael stand from his chair and spread his frail wings out by his side before disappearing into thin air.

God paused, staring over the table. Michael was the only one who truly touched his food, while the rest picked and prodded, losing their appetite to their anxieties. "I know things are different now. We've lost some of our family along the way, but that doesn't mean I can't still have hope that we can get back there." He looked to Amenadiel and Lucifer, hoping they would latch onto his words. None of his sons could look him in the eye. None of his sons believed him. "This won't be easy, and I don't plan on leaving until I make things right, once and for all. With everyone." His eyes lingered onto Chloe, who sat with a stone-like expression- impenetrable for anyone to know what she was thinking.

Silence still weighed heavily in the room, no one daring to be the first one to speak.

"I want you to know that through everything, my love for each one of you never wavered." God-focused on Amenadiel across the table. His eldest son looked up for the first time, looking touched by his father's words. They shared a smile before the silence broke.

"Love." Lucifer's voice was quiet and soft as he echoed his father's words aloud. "Love? There was never any love here." He studied his plate as if all of the answers laid before him. "Love isn't neglecting your children for your own personal project. Love isn't breaking our family apart by having us choose between you and our own mother. I know it isn't kicking your own son out of the house for good." Lucifer looked up to God with a deep resentment raging in his eyes. "What you have done to us, what you have done to me- that's not love."

Chloe looked over to Lucifer as his voice broke and cracked in pain. The multiple voices raging war in her head went silent, and the racing heartbeats that consumed her body slowed in pace. She looked to her partner with a new source of clarity that she didn't have before, and Chloe had a sudden need to reach out to him at this moment, ignoring the frustration still moving within.

"You're mother, and I made you all out of pure-"

"You made us out of curiosity. You didn't make us out of Love. You made us to be your disciples. We were your first project, weren't we? Little toys in your workshop. Until the day you find one with a defect and you throw him out, without care." Lucifer's chest heaved up and down, feeling the pain he had suppressed for so long building up inside of him.

"Sam- Lucifer, that's not true. I sent you away for your own good."

"My own good? Do you know about the things that place made me do? The things I've done to those lost souls?" Lucifer's chair pushed back as he stood. "Do you even know about the man that you created- the monster?"

God placed the napkin from his lap onto the table before standing calming to meet his son's eye line. "The monster I created or the monster you chose to become?" The conversation had turned to the point of no return, and he stopped himself from speaking another word.

Lucifer took a step back as if his father's words were knives daggering into his chest. For a second, Lucifer forgot about his friends and brother as his eyes locked into his father's.

"I'm sorry, my son. I'm sorry to both of you." God looked to Amenadiel, who looked as if he were indifferent toward his father's words. "But I meant what I said- I will find a way to make things right." He bowed his head in Linda's direction before disappearing behind a bright white light.

Everyone froze, looking down at the table, wallowing in the silence.

"Luci, are you alright?" Amenadiel shifted in his chair to move beside his brother, but Lucifer's hand stopped him.

Lucifer's body was still buzzing from the loathing he felt for Michael, the unresolved suffering he felt for his father, and the disappointment he had in himself for allowing Chloe to join the dinner tonight. He looked at her from the corner of his eye, watching her keep her distance physically and emotionally. "I- I just need to be alone." His voice shook as he spread his white wings out wide. Before anyone could turn around, beg him to stay, he was gone.

In unison, the three remaining guests sat back into their chairs and stared at the cold dinner that never met their mouths.


	4. I Think I Can Sleep Now

The penthouse suite above Lux was dark and silent late into the night. A cerulean blue glowed from behind the bar, and Chloe adjusted her eyes as she stepped out of the elevator. His bed was still made, and the piano had not been touched. She followed the dim blue light's reflection on the floor and stopped at the balcony's threshold.

Lucifer's silhouette was hunched over the balcony, and a single finger of whiskey was left in his glass, swaying around in his hand. She watched the moon's light reflecting off the amber drink that displayed rippled reflections on the balcony floor.

Leaning her head to the side, Chloe didn't know if Lucifer had heard her come in, and she took another step forward. "Hi." Her voice was light as her lips spread out into a small smile.

Lucifer quickly turned around, not only surprised to hear her voice in this tone but surprised to see her at all. "Hi." His shoulders relaxed, relieved to see her.

She had changed into soft, leisurewear, and her hair was wrapped up into a bun, exposing her feathered bangs. There was a more relaxed look to her that put Lucifer at ease. A look warmer than what he experienced at dinner. "Are you okay?"

"I feel as if I should be asking you that. I wasn't expecting to see you tonight, after-." Lucifer felt his blood simmer at the thought of Michael.

"If I'm being honest, I didn't know if I should have come here." She looked down at her shoes, hugging her sweater tighter against her body as if she were embarrassed. "I won't stay long. I just couldn't sleep without getting something off my chest."

He felt his insides twist and turn, not being able to read her face as she looked down, away from him. Lucifer watched her lean against the glass patio door. She was only a foot away, but to him, she felt father.

"Michael shouldn't have been the one to tell me those things." Chloe met Lucifer's eyes and watched him lean his back against the balcony railing.

"I know. Detective, you don't know how sorry I am. Truly. I shouldn't have had to come to that dinner at all."

"No, I'm glad I did. I got to see another side of you. I understand now- I get it." She almost looked sad as she came to an understanding of where his pain comes from. The broken home he still holds onto. Her eyes began to sting with tears, and she looked up to the sky to collect herself quickly. "But, Lucifer, we cannot keep things from each other. And this- this was huge. I mean, you died. Twice. Your brother-" Chloe's chest felt heavy as she thought of herself as a burden in Lucifer's life. "Why? Why did you do those things?"

"Why do you think?" Lucifer tilted his head to the side as his face softened. He drank the rest of his whiskey, staring into the empty glass in his hand. "I know we never finished our conversation in the evidence closet."

"We don't need to." Chloe shook her head as she thought of the conversation that felt so long ago, but it had only happened yesterday. It didn't seem relevant anymore with everything they had been through.

"I want to." He felt the nerves take over his body, and he began to pace slowly, needing movement in his step to help get the words out. "When I said it was complicated, it's not what I feel for you is complicated, but the words themselves."

Chloe slowly nodded, understanding him clearly. After their dinner, it was evident that Lucifer grew up without love in his life. He didn't recognize the feeling, the words, or the meaning behind it all.

"But, you deserve the truth, Detective. No more keeping things from each other." Lucifer stopped his feet in front of Chloe, his facing illuminating down onto hers. "Chloe," He swallowed back any of the doubt left on his tongue. "I lo-"

"Don't." Chloe quickly raised a hand to stop Lucifer from finishing his sentence. She began to feel uncomfortable in her own skin for pressuring Lucifer to his point. Thinking back to the fear planted in her mind, thinking of the words that she felt would change everything, Chloe began to smile as she rested her hand on his chest with eyes full of clarity.

Lucifer looked puzzled, freezing the words that were so hard to say, on the tip of his lips. "Chloe-"

"I don't want you to say it. I don't need you to." She felt like a child, pining for him to profess his love with three simple words when it was always there in front of her. "They're just words, Lucifer. They would never compare to what you have done for me. I don't ever have to hear those words from you." Chloe raised onto her toes and lightly brushed her lips against his. She held his cheek for a moment longer, still seeing the small painful remnants his father left behind in his eyes.

"I think I can sleep now." Chloe's smile hid her insecurities over his sudden invulnerability around her, but she quieted her mind, enjoying their moment. There was still so much to be said, details she wanted to no more of, but tonight was not that night. They could see the look of exhaust in each other's eyes.

Chloe slid out of his grip, sensing his need to be alone with his family, father, and past thoughts. Their hands slowly detangled from each other. "I'll see you tomorrow."

As she turned around, Chloe's smile faded away as the uneasiness set back in. She would need time to process what he had done for her and the overwhelming sensation that she was indebted to him. Chloe felt powerless, thinking there was no way to repay the man she loved- the man who loved her.

Lucifer watched the elevator doors close, and his body sank in regret. The words were on the tip of his tongue. Although Chloe knew she had his love without needing him to speak it, all Lucifer wanted to do was say those three words. Maybe not tonight, but soon.


End file.
